Bow-facing oar.



` No. 738,695.` PATENTED sEPT.a,19o3.

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Bow PAGING OAR.

` APPLIU'ATION FILED Nov. 2a, 1903.' 110 uonm..

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2f/wisse@ [naa/1 fan-721457. [2W/@ 1 mms vrfzws cnA Nom L mo mamma uN D UNI-TED STATES4 Patented September 8, 1903.

APATENI OFFICE.

ELI S. MCOAULLEY, OF MONTOUR, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO j THOMAS U'.V FRANTZ, OF MONTOUR, IOWA.

BOW-FACING OAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lett-.ers` Patent No. 738,695, dated September 8, 1903.

i Application led November 28, 1902. Serial No. 133.160. (No model.)

in the county of `'lrama' and `State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bow-Facing Oars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new andl `useful improvements in bow-facing oars by which the oars are automatically featheredthat is to say, the blades are held in a vertical position during their eective stroke and held in a horizontal position on their return stroke,

A be turned as required in feathering at the end and, further to provideV simple, durable, and easily-adjusted means whereby. the oars may of a stroke at any desirable point throughout the length of the stroke, so that the operator j zo may take a stroke of any ordinary length and have the oars feathered in the required manner at each end of the stroke. i

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement,'and combination of the various parts of the device whereby` the obj ectsmcontemplated are attain ed, as here- 'inafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 `shows a top or plan view of one of the oars, the handle and blade portion being broken' away and thecovering-plate on top of thetoothed segments removed. Fig.4 2

shows a verticalcentral sectional view of the L Fig. 3 showsa top or plan view of a1 portionof the device, illustrating the adjustable guide-plates. Fig.- 4

shows an enlarged detail View illustrating the feathering-block- Fig. 5 shows a top or plan' view of a portion of a row-boat with one of my improved oars connected therewith as in practical use. Fig'. 6 shows a detailledge view illustrating the base-plate, one of the adjustable guide-plates, and the feathering-block and showing by dotted lines the position of the featherin glblock Wh'enpartially inserted and Fig. 7 showsan edge view of same, illustrating the positions ofthe tripping-arms of theadjustable guide-plates and showing the feathering-block in position between them.

4lteferrirrg to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral 10 to indicate a circular plate supported upon the edge set-screw 14. Between the sides of the Y- shaped bracket 15 is a base-plate 16, said baseplate being held in position so that it may tilt in a vertical plane by means of the screws 17. Formed integral with plate 16 are two vertical journals 18, for purposes hereinafter made clear, and near one end of the base-plate is a circular groove 19, centering one of the journalslSand arranged concentrically therewith.

.The ends of the base-plate 16 are semicircular in outline, and in the upper face thereof are the recesses 20, leading from the groove 19 outwardly. Slidingly mounted in this groove 19 are two adjustable guide-plates 21 and 22,

each provided with a downwardly-inclined `portion 23 and ea'ch having a integral arm of the plates 21 and 22 are each reduced in Width, so that they may lie parallel with each other and be capable of adjustment to and from each other while preserving a nat-topped surface atV any point throughout such adjustment, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. As will hereinafter appear, the depressions or downwardly-inclined portions 23 of these guides are for the purpose of permitting the feathering-block to turn at right angles, and by means of the construction just described these depressions 23 may be adjusted to and from each other and independently of each other, so that the feathering of the oars may take place at any desired point throughout the isti-oke of the oars, and this is accomplished by loosening `wingedu nuts.

Mounted upon one-of the journals 1S is a toothed disk 27, having an integral socket 28 at one end, in which a handle 29 is fitted. The numeral 30 indicates a mating disk the teeth of which are meshed with those of the disk 27, and the disk 30 is mounted on the remaining journal 18.

Formed integral with the disk 30 is a socket 31, in which an oar-blade 32 is rotatably mounted, said blade being provided with a rounded extension 33. Passed through the socket 31toward the central portion of the disk 30 and iixed to the end of said part 33 is a swiveled block 34, having rollers 35atits corners. This block 35 is mounted in a recess 36, formed in disk 30, andthe feathering-block 34 is so arranged and proportioned as to rest upon the top of the guides ,21,and22.

position elevated above the water.

.ably connected with the plate 10 by passing@ the Y-shaped bracket through said socket 135 and clamped in position by means of saidi screw 14. When in this position, it is obviousf that the operator may face the bow ofthe boati and by manipulating the handle 29 in the;

manner in which ordinary oars are used -he may face the bow ofthe boat and propel the boat in the same direction in which he is; facing, the motion imparted tothe handle.29l being reversed as applied to the lblade of the; oar by the toothed disks 27 and 30. However', for the successful use of a pair of oars the;y blade should be reversed and lfirmly held in? a vertical position during the effective part of the stroke and also left and firmly held inlv asubstantially horizontal position during the"V return stroke. x

In describing the operation ofthe 'feather-j ing device we-will assume that the oar isin At the; start of its effective movement the oar is low.4 ered 'into the water by means of the feather-g. ing-block 34, resting upon the'iat-topped sur-Q fac-e of the plates 2l and 22. Then as the blade;y

approaches the rearward limit of its effective stroke the pin 38 strikes against arm 2.4 andat the same time the forward corner of block 34;y enters the depression 23, thus permitting the block 34 to tilt, as illustrated ,by dotted lines, in Fig. 6, and when the feathering-block 34 rests upon the bottom of the depression23 the blade will be thrown to a horizontal position. f During this time the blade is raised from they water by depressing handle 29 and the blockf 34 rises out of vthe depression23 and moves.

upon the top of the plates 21 and 22, thus iirmly holding the blade in a horizontal position during such rearward movement Then `the pin 37 strikes the arm 25, thus tilting block;

34, as it enters the depression 23 in-plate 22,`

thus throwing the blade again toa vertical position, and when the oar is started again on its eective movement the said block will move out of the depression 23 to the flat tops of the plates 21'and 22 to the position first described. T he arms 24 and 25 are located in differenthorizontal planes andthe pins 37 and 38 are of such length that only the pin 37 will strike arm 25, the pin 38 being short enough to clear said arm and the arm 24 is shorter than arm 2 5, so that the pin 37 will not strike the arm 24 when passing it.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim, Vand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United-States therefor, isi 1. An improvement in bow-facing oars,

comprising incombination a handle portion having at one v.end a concentrically-pivoted disk :having a toothed rim, a blade portion having a concentrically-pivoted disk provided witha toothed Vrim in Vmesh with the other rim, means -for automaticallyturning the blade portion at leach endiof the stroke, means foriirmlyholding theblade portion in position during both'its effective and return movements, said means'for turning the blade being .adjustable vwhereby the length of the blade stroke maybe changed and the blade turnedat each-end-of the stroke.

V2. An improvement in bow-.facing oars,

ycomprising inv combination a base-plate capable ofztiltingin a-verticalplane, an oar-hanldlevportionhaving a toothed disk at one end concentrically ypivoted tothe -baseplate, a socket havingia toothed. diskfat one endv concentrically .pivoted to :the base-plate, said disks being meshed,.a guidemountediin the base-plate` and havinga depression-in its top surface, an arm connectedwith the, guide and .projecting radially therefrom,v a clamping-nut Lonnsaid. arm,. a bladeportion rotatably mount- IOO ed in the `socket,;a ifeathering-blockon the Y blade portion normallyresting upon fsaid having their ends projected past each other in the samel horizontal plane and each having a depression in its top surface, a short straight .arm fixed to one of said guides, a Alongarm fixed to the other guide extended downwardly and then outwardly, means for clamping these `arms in any position in which they maybe placed, a socketformed on thelast-mentioned toothed disk having saidblade passed through it and rotatablethereima short and long pin IIO i fixed to the blade and projected through the the guides, substantially as and for the pursoeket to engage respectively the short and poses stated. long arms, and a feathering-block fixed vto the blade and mounted in an opening n the disk,

5 said block having rollers at its corners de- Witnesses:

signed to travel on the guides and capable of ADISON D. LETOH, turning when they enter said depressions in 1 FRANK D. WOLCOTT.

ELI s. Mc-CAULLEY. 

